When Coyotes winger Lauri Korpikoski signed a four-year contract to stay with the Coyotes this off-season, he envisioned something more than three points through 15 games. So did the Coyotes.

“It wasn’t really a big secret,” Korpikoski said. “As a player, you have a high expectation of yourself and you have high goals. I put more pressure on myself than probably anybody else.”

Korpikoski scored a combined 36 goals for the Coyotes in the two seasons before the shortened 2012-13 season, but notched just his second goal of 2013-14 in Saturday’s win over the Capitals.

Missing a week in late October with an injury probably didn’t help, but it may have been more mental with the 27-year-old Finn.

“It’s tough not to get frustrated,” he said. “You think about it a lot, and sometimes you start overthinking it and then you think yourself into an even bigger hole when you start thinking about it too much. I did that for a while.”

Korpikoski hopes his goal Saturday will be enough to get a run going, but he won’t rely on that alone. He’s been taking extra shots before practice.

Phoenix coach Dave Tippett also has a few things up his sleeve.

“You can do some video with him,” Tippett said. “We do different things where we set small goals for players — so many shots a game, things like that. You just try to keep them pushing along. I look at their whole game, how it’s going and making sure he’s getting enough chances. So you do a whole kind of diagnosis on a player and you try to help him out any way you can.”

Blues blues

The Coyotes haven’t had much success the past couple years against the St. Louis Blues, tonight’s opponent.

Over the previous two seasons, Phoenix is 1-5-1 against St. Louis, including a 1-2-1 mark at the Scottrade Center. Last season, the Coyotes went 0-2-1 against the Blues, lowlighted by a 3-0 road loss that set off a seven-game losing streak.

“I think they probably just play really well at home,” winger Rob Klinkhammer said. “They defend their own ice well. I think that’s probably the key reason we haven’t had great success. I think if we just play our brand of hockey — nice and simple, go after it and just be relentless on the puck — it should be a good game.”

Doan rolling

After registering just one goal and three points through his first nine games, Doan seems to have hit his stride offensively.

The Coyotes captain has nine points in his past eight games, and has scored four goals in his past three. His eight goals led the team, and his 12 points are third.

“It comes and goes,” Doan said. “When you’re in it, you want to try to stay in it as long as you can. There’s ebbs and flows in a season.”

New TV deal

On Monday the Coyotes signed a new long-term television deal with Fox Sports Arizona, the team announced via press release. According to a source, the agreement is for 12 years. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Seventy games a season will be broadcast on FSAZ or FSAZ Arizona Plus. The two have been partners since the team’s inaugural season in Phoenix in 1996.

Ice chip

Coyotes winger Radim Vrbata practiced Monday and is a possibility to play tonight. Vrbata left Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury. Defenseman Derek Morris did not practice Monday, seeing a doctor instead, but Tippett said he would travel with the team and could play against the Blues. Morris has missed the past two games with a lower-body injury.

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